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Topic: Top Bar Hive for Newbee? (Read 6647 times)

Hello All;I am continuing my readings at home and here on the forum and I wanted to throw out a question for feedback. I am considering having both a conventional hive and a Top Bar Hive this spring when I start my adventure with beekeeping. My thinking is it would be a great learning experience. Am I pushing the envelope to much or to fast with this idea? Any and all thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Best wishes and many thanks. Winenutguy.

The biggest down side to doing both side by side is, if you build a top bar hive that won't take standard frames, then you don't have easily sharable resources between the two hives. If you build a Tanzanian (straight sided) top bar hive that can take standard frames, then you can greatly reduce this downside. I would recommend starting off that you try to have two hives for which the combs can be interchanged in case you need some open brood for the other hive etc. But you can do that if you build the TBH to the right dimensions...

Thank you! I will give my idea extended thought. Top Bar Hives seem very fascinating though. I actually got the idea from looking at your sight. Thank you again for sharing your wealth of knowledge. It has certainly helped my search for questions and helped me decide what kind of beekeeper I would like to aspire too. Best wishes, Marcus

Thank you! I will give my idea extended thought. Top Bar Hives seem very fascinating though. I actually got the idea from looking at your sight. Thank you again for sharing your wealth of knowledge. It has certainly helped my search for questions and helped me decide what kind of beekeeper I would like to aspire too. Best wishes, Marcus

Marcus,go for 2 standard hives and save the TBH for the 2nd or 3rd year, you'll be glad you did. Has to do with the learning curve and options.

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be consistent your first year or so. One, interchangeability of frames as MB mentioned. The second reason, if a hive does well, is it the TBH or standard frame? or your beekeeping practices? You will learn more about your beekeeping skills by keeping as much identical as possible. This means frames, foundation, type of bee, location, tops bottoms SBB etc. This way everything will be "equal" and you will get a better undersdanding of how your beekeeping skills impact your bees.

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KONASDAD is right. Two side by side hives often have dramatically different results from identical treatment and equipment. You should probably observe this so you don't jump to erroneous conclusions...

I have just finished my first year as beekeeper, and I had a regular and a TBH. This was a real challengde. The regular was ok, and other beekeepers could give advice easily. The other gave my a lot of headache (probably just being unlucky) giving me a failing queen in the worst possible time.

I should probably have gone for a tanzanian style hive, but I made a quite big version, where I could put regular Norwegian frames under the bars. This saved this hive this year, as I could transfer eggs from the other hive.

The Norwegian frames are a bit shorter than langstroth, I believe, but still the hive was getting quite big since the sides were sloped. It really is a monster :-)

I have learned a lot from having both hives, but I would not recomend it to others. It is probably a much better idea to wait until year two.

Thank you eividm!The more I read about TBH's the more they interest me. I am not looking to make tons of honey. I'm not looking to be any sort of side-liner someday. I just want to learn about bees, try an increase the general bee population, have more polinators on our property and do all of this in as natural a process as possible. I will not use any sort of chemical or non-natural product with my bees. The other thing that fascinates me is bees and comb. I think natural comb is one of natures most beautiful works of art. I want to see the bees do there thing like they have done for millions years and learn and enjoy that wonderful process. This would all be possible with Lang. hives I know, its just that TBH looks more like what the bees do on their own when left to there own devices. I want to support and if I can nurture, not make them do something unnatural. Anyway this is my general thinking at the moment. Still a ways a way from spring. Any others thoughts or suggestions would be very welcome. Best wishes, Winenutguy

I am a beginner and I just finished building two top bar hives. I chose these because they appear easier to work (lifting only one at a time - but more messy in the honey collecting), and I built them with windows so I can see them without disturbing them much. I will be ordering my first bees in January when I start a class close to Chicago.

From what I've read, it is best to have the same type hives, whichever you chose.

I've also talked with several people who recommend starting with the traditional Langstom hive, as you will have many more people (resources) with whom to discuss issues and ideas.

I have not even started keeping yet (start in spring off 2011) but from what I have read you can do lang hives and foundationless frames.You would have the same joy and challenges as but types of hives.

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If you really want to compare Langstroth and Top bar hives you can build a TTBH (Tanszanian) built to take Langstroth frames but use top bars in it, and have a Langstroth next to it that takes the same size. that way you can share resources, but don't assume because one does better that it's all about the hive... two colonies never do exactly the same...

I started with a topbar hive a few months back and love it, make sure you include an observation window if you do go top bar as it is a great way to sit and watch the hive. My next one will have a perspex follower board as well so I can watch even more goings on. I have now started dabbling in langs and am setting up a 8 frame foundationless hive at the moment. My topbars are pretty big (20 inch) as being in Aust where it is pretty warm I wanted additional surface for the comb to be attached to and I also wanted to be able to experiment further down the track with placing a super that takes standard frames on top of the hive.